Convertible notebooks are a great alternative to laptops and ultrabooks. They are ideal for people who need a light and easy-to-carry device and who don’t need a very powerful PC. They are also particularly suitable for those who want to have a tablet for drawing or writing notes with a digital pen.
It is no surprise that these products are becoming increasingly popular and new models appear every day. When choosing a convertible notebook, in fact, you would find yourself faced with a wide range of options to choose from but to help you not get lost in the midst of so many proposals.
So here we had selected some of the best models of convertible notebooks that are listed below.
Convertible Notebooks Buyer Guide
What Exactly Are Convertible Notebooks?
Convertible notebooks are computers halfway between a laptop and a tablet. They offer many of the advantages of both types of devices, among which the touch screen, the lightness of the tablet, and the power and ergonomics of traditional laptops stand out, besides of course they are equipped with an integrated keyboard.
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Convertible Notebooks?
Convertible notebooks offer the functionality, capacity, and power of a traditional laptop combined with the convenience and versatility of a tablet with its touch screen. Also being very light devices you can take them with you wherever you go.
At the same time, these computers usually do not have a large storage capacity, since they typically integrate SSD drives. Also, be careful if you decide to buy a convertible notebook with a zipper because excessive use of this feature can end up deteriorating with wear:
Advantages
- They are very versatile devices that adapt to different situations
- They are usually light computers, have rather small dimensions and are easily transportable
- They have a touch screen and keyboard
- They are more powerful than tablets
- You will enjoy the same programs that you use on a traditional computer
- The value for money is excellent
- For the price of one device, you will get two computers
- Being able to count on SSD storage drives, the loading of the operating system is faster
Disadvantages
- The low-power processors built into many of the low-end notebooks are not powerful enough for the heaviest computing jobs
- Excessive use of the zipper can end up breaking or deteriorating it
- Its storage capacity is smaller
Is It Worth Buying a Convertible Notebook?
Certainly, it is a very interesting option for the advantages we have just explained, moreover, the purchase of a convertible notebook would save you money as you would have two devices in one. This is actually one of the main reasons why its popularity does not stop growing and with it the number of units sold.
Who Is Recommended to Buy a Convertible Notebook?
Convertible notebooks are especially recommended for people who travel a lot or who travel frequently during the day and work with laptops. Traditional computers are not comfortable in these circumstances, so in cases such as traveling on public transport, a computer that turns into a tablet is more appropriate.
How Many Types of Portable Notebooks Are There?
Convertible notebooks can be mainly of two types: with a 360º hinge or with a chiclet-type keyboard. The former is more suitable for those who will use them most often as laptops since they allow you to use the device in different ways and the same keyboard can have a support function.
The latter is also functional when moving and for use as a tablet, since the keyboard sometimes acts as a carrying case. In any case, both types can be used for productive activities.
Purchase Criteria
Before making a final choice on your new convertible notebook, it is essential that you take into consideration a series of purchase criteria: to help you, we have selected the ones that we believe are the most important, you can use them as a guide to purchasing by adjusting the ratio quality price.
- Use that you will do with it
- Screen
- RAM memory
- Microprocessor
- Memory capacity
- Connectivity
- Autonomy
Use that You Will Do with It
Of course, the first thing you should think about is what use you will make of the notebook. You don’t need the same type of device if you have to use it mainly at home or if you have to always carry it with you or if it will have to accompany you on the road, as well as depending on the work you have to do you will need a more or less powerful computer.
To surf the Internet, watch videos and check e-mails or social networks you will find yourself quite well with a low-end notebook, but if you intend to use it for more demanding tasks it will be better that you orient yourself on a computer with higher performance, opting for a model that has a sufficiently powerful processor and RAM.
Screen
As for the screen, one of the aspects that are given the greatest importance is the size. Typically the size of the screens of these devices is around 14 ″, but if you only have to watch videos and work with Microsoft Office, a notebook with an 11 ″ screen will suffice.
If you want you can even reach 10 ″, while it is not recommended to go below this measure. Another aspect you should consider is resolution, having this a fundamental influence on the quality of the image you will enjoy.
The current options are HD (an abbreviation of English High Definition), Full HD, and 4K. To date, there are few 4K contents, but in any case, this will be the standard that will end up being imposed.
Ram Memory
Random-access memory (RAM) is what notebooks use as a work memory, hence its vital influence on a computer’s performance. RAM stores all the information processed by the processor and all the data managed by the different running programs.
This is one of those cases where the larger the quantity, the greater the benefits. Among the low-end convertible notebooks, you can find models with 2 GB of RAM, although the ideal would be to have one with 4 GB or more. It is also important to check what type of RAM is integrated: currently, the most common standards are DDR3L and DDR4.
Microprocessor
The processors of these devices are much more powerful than those of traditional tablets. Low-end computers may have dual-core Atom or Celeron processors, while high-end computers may use more powerful processors such as the Intel Core i3, the Core i5, or even the Core i7.
In this way devices such as the Lenovo Yoga 910, 920, and 730 integrate the Core i7 processor which offers excellent performance. In any case, manufacturers often offer different configuration options for their models, as in the case of the Microsoft Surface Pro, available in different configurations with Intel Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7.
Memory Capacity
Typically these computers do not have large-capacity memory drives or hard drives. This limitation is a consequence of the need to reduce weight and to design very thin convertible notebooks. However, most of these devices have SSD drives that allow for a much faster boot of the operating system.
Many notebooks thus have memory units of only 128 or 256 GB, even if among the high-end computers it is possible to find configurations with higher capacities that can reach 512 GB or 1 TB. One possible solution to this limitation is the use of portable hard drives to store heavier media files.
Connectivity
In an increasingly connected world, the connectivity options available in the notebook you choose are another criterion to keep in mind. Some computers have some limitations in the number of USB ports: the ideal would be to have three or more, but in any case, there are few devices that have only two.
The notebook must also offer WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. If you want to play a video in HD and connect the computer to a Smart TV or a projector, it is also necessary to have an HDMI output, a unit that unfortunately is not very frequent in these devices. Finally, it is always good that the computer also has a microSD card reader.
Autonomy
The battery of these notebooks usually has a longer life than many traditional laptops. In fact, you can find devices with an autonomy of 8 to 10 hours, an advantage favored by the use of low-power processors, moreover, some computers are equipped with rapid loading systems that can make you come out of more than one jam.
